Concealed Gutter Hanger with Guided Fastener

ABSTRACT

A hidden gutter hanger mounts a rain gutter to the roof structure of a building. The end of the gutter hanger adjacent the building fascia is formed with multiple vertically folded portions that establish a strong end mounting structure for fastening the gutter hanger to the fascia. The folded end portions are formed with aligned holes that create a guided fastener structure having minimal longitudinal depth that allows a greater percentage of the guided fastener to be inserted into the building fascia. The distal end of the gutter hanger is formed with a mounting tab that engages the forward lip of the rain gutter such that the gutter hanger is positioned internally of the rain gutter. The body portion of the gutter hanger extending between the distal end and the end adjacent the fascia is formed with a central longitudinal rib to strengthen the hanger against vertical sagging.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to brackets for hanging gutters frombuilding roof structures to collect rainwater therefrom and, moreparticularly, to a gutter hanger with strength-reinforcing structurethat receives a guided fastener to retain the gutter hanger from thebuilding roof structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Gutters and downspouts are mounted on most residential and commercialstructures along the lower edge of the roof of the structure to receivewater draining off of the roof, such as during a rainstorm. Gutters comein many different styles, including K gutter, half round gutter, orcommercial box gutter, but all are generally formed with an open topthrough which water is received into a trough or channel that deliversthe water by gravity to a downspout for discharge away from the buildingstructure. Gutters are often mounted on a plurality of gutter hangersthat are spaced along the length of the gutter and fastened to fasciaboards by nails or screws such that the gutter is suspended from thegutter hangers. The downspout is connected to an outlet of the gutter toprovide a conduit to drain the collected rainwater from the gutter fordischarge along the surface of the ground and direct the rainwater awayfrom the building structure.

The design of gutter hangers has evolved over the recent past to providehidden gutter hangers, which is attached to a fascia board by one ormore fasteners, such as screws or nails, which may be placed through afastener receiver built into the structure of the gutter hanger by aportable drill or automatic gun to secure the gutter hanger to thebuilding roof structure. Utilization of the hidden gutter hanger reducesthe amount of labor required to hang the gutter; however, the hiddengutter hanger hangs the front edge of the gutter in a cantileveredmanner and, thus, requires structural strength to resist sagging of thegutter over a period of time. Over-screwing the fasteners into thefascia is a common problem with known hidden gutter hanger brackets,resulting in a distortion of the hanger bracket and possible damage tothe fascia.

A variety of hidden gutter hanger devices have been developed over theyears, such as U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,826, issued on Apr. 3, 2001, to JohnM. Pratt, Jr., in which the gutter hanger has a pair of upright tabsformed with open notches to guide the fastener passing through a foldedend structure to engage the fascia. U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,622, granted toA. B. Walters on Sep. 24, 2002, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,470,628, granted toArnold B. Walters on Oct. 29, 2002, disclose a shaped hidden gutterhanger configuration in which the body portion curves downwardly towardthe front end to accommodate the mounting of a formed gutter covermember. This cast gutter hanger includes a channel for guiding thepassage of the screw fastener to engage the fascia of the building roofstructure.

A hanger bracket having a main body with a secondary bracket that slidesinto locking engagement with the main bracket, in which the secondarybracket has a tubular guide member for receiving the fastener to alignthe fastener with an opening in the folded end clip to attach the hangerto the fascia of the roof building structure, is disclosed in U.S. Pat.No. 6,543,729, issued to Heikki Ylonen on Apr. 8, 2003. Similarly, U.S.Pat. No. 6,631,587, granted to Kenneth Lynch on Oct. 14, 2003, disclosesa supplemental gutter support bracket for use in conjunction with aconventional gutter hanger, wherein the supplemental bracket has abarrel and a tab. The barrel receives the fastener, while the tabengages a hole or slot in the conventional gutter hanger to support thebarrel in a position to receive the fastener to pass through a hole inthe end of the gutter hanger for connecting the hanger to the buildingfascia.

A hidden gutter hanger with a guided fastener structure is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 6,726,155, issued to Raymond Zimmerman on Apr. 27, 2004,in which the guided fastener structure is formed by a pair of formedribs defining a channel for the passage of the guided fastener to engagethe building fascia. U.S. Pat. No. 7,494,095, granted to Simon Walker onFeb. 24, 2009, and also U.S. Design Pat. No. D541,636, issued on May 1,2007, to Simon Walker, disclose a cast gutter hanger having a formedfascia end structure including an upright member that has a hole formedtherein, with a cross piece and depending attachment clip having asecond hole formed therein, to guide the fastener through the formed endstructure into the building fascia.

It would be desirable to provide a hidden gutter hanger having a guidedfastener structure that can be formed by bending sheet metal, instead ofcasting, with sufficient mounting structure to resist gravity inducedsagging of the mounted gutter.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of this invention to overcome the disadvantages of theprior art by providing a formed hidden gutter hanger with folded endstructure that defines a guiding structure for the placement of thefastener to engage the fascia in the roof building structure.

It is another object of this invention to provide a hidden gutter hangerhaving a structural configuration that resists gutter sagging over thepassage of time.

It is a feature of this invention that the end structure of the hiddengutter hanger adjacent the fascia is formed with multiple verticalfolded portions.

It is another feature of this invention that the multiple verticalfolded portions have aligned holes formed therein to define a guidingstructure for the passage of a fastener into the building fascia.

It is an advantage of this invention that the folded end structure ofthe hidden gutter hanger defines a longitudinally harrow configurationfor the guided fastener structure.

It is another advantage of this Invention that the folded end structureof the hidden gutter hanger allows a larger length of the fastener to beplaced into the building fascia.

It is still another advantage of this invention that the folded endstructure of the hidden gutter hanger allows the utilization of ashorter fastener than is known in the prior art to establish asatisfactory length of fastener into the building fascia.

It is yet another advantage of this invention that the folded endstructure of the hidden gutter hanger allows a larger percentage of thefastener connecting the gutter hanger to the building fascia to beengaged within the fascia.

It is still another feature of this invention that the body portion ofthe hidden gutter hanger is formed with a central raised rib structurethat increases the strength of the body portion in resistinggravity-induced sagging of the mounted gutter.

It is a further advantage of this invention that the overall body massof the hidden gutter hanger is reduced to provide a more cost effectivegutter hanger design configuration with decreased material commodityrequirements.

It is still a further advantage of this invention that the compactfolded configuration of the installation end of the gutter hangerprevents the fastener from distorting the structure of the gutterhanger.

It is a further feature of this invention that the upper and lowerhorizontally extending fold portions of the installation end buttagainst the fascia to prevent the fastener from being inserted too farinto the fascia, resulting in distortion of the gutter hanger and damageto the fascia.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a hidden gutterhanger having a guided fastener structure for use in mounting raingutters to a building roof structure, which is durable in construction,inexpensive of manufacture, carefree of maintenance, facile inassemblage, and simple and effective in use.

These and other objects, features and advantages are accomplishedaccording to the instant invention by providing a hidden gutter hangerfor mounting a rain gutter to the roof structure of a building in whichthe end of the gutter hanger adjacent the building fascia is formed withmultiple vertically folded portions that establish a strong end mountingstructure for fastening the gutter hanger to the fascia. The folded endportions are formed with aligned holes that create a guided fastenerstructure having minimal longitudinal depth that allows a greaterpercentage of the guided fastener to be inserted into the buildingfascia. The distal end of the gutter hanger is formed with a mountingtab that engages the forward lip of the rain gutter such that the gutterhanger is positioned internally of the rain gutter. The body portion ofthe gutter hanger extending between the distal end and the end adjacentthe fascia is formed with a central longitudinal rib to strengthen thehanger against vertical sagging.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon considerationof the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially whentaken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the hidden gutter hanger incorporatingthe principles of the instant invention, the perspective view beingtaken from the distal end of the gutter hanger;

FIG. 2 is a left side elevational view of the hidden gutter hanger shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the hidden gutter hanger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the end of the gutter hanger placedadjacent to the building fascia, the endmost hole through the folded endsection forming the guided fastener structure being shown;

FIG. 5 is an end elevational view of the distal end of the hidden gutterhanger shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the gutter hanger takenalong lines 6-6 of FIG. 3, a representative screw fastener being shownpositioned in the guided fastener structure for engagement with thebuilding fascia;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged transverse cross-sectional view of the bodyportion of the hidden gutter hanger taken along lines 7-7 of FIG. 2 toshown the raised, longitudinal strengthening rib in the center of thebody portion of the gutter hanger;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the gutter hanger shown in FIG. 1 takenfrom the end of the gutter hanger adjacent the building fascia.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring now to the drawings, a hidden gutter hanger incorporating theprinciples of the instant invention can best be seen. The gutter hanger10 generally includes an elongated body portion 12, a distal mountingend 14 and a proximal attachment end 20. The body portion 12 isconfigured to span across the open upper portion of a rain gutter (notshown) between curved front lip and the rearward side thereof. Thelongitudinally extending body portion 12 has a raised centralreinforcing rib 13 formed therein to enhance the strength of the bodyportion 12 and resist a downward deflection of the distal mounting end12 relative to the proximal attachment end, resulting in a downwardsagging of the rain gutter over time. The body portion 12 is integrallyformed with the distal and proximal ends 13, 20 and is preferably formedthrough sequential bending of sheet metal to create the structuralconfiguration described in greater detail below.

The distal mounting end 14 includes a reverse curved mounting tab 15that is engagable with the front mounting lip (not shown) of aconventional K-style rain gutter. The mounting tab 15, as will berecognized by one of ordinary skill in the art, will slip under thefront mounting lip of the rain gutter so that the front portion of therain gutter is supported on the mounting tab 15. In this configuration,the mounting tab 15 is internally positioned with respect to the raingutter and is not readily visible from below the rain gutter whenmounted to the building roof structure, as is described in greaterdetail below.

The integral proximal attachment end 20 of the gutter hanger 10 isformed by bending the sheet metal blank from which the gutter hanger 10is formed into a folded configuration having multiple vertically foldedportions. From the body portion 12, the proximal attachment end 20includes a first folded portion 21 bent upwardly through an acute angleinto a vertical orientation. To position the mounting tab 15 at alocation that is in horizontal opposition to the top of the first foldedportion 21, the angle of repose between the first folded portion 21 andthe body portion 12 is less than ninety degrees. Because of thecantilevered nature of the mounting of the front lip of the standardK-style rain gutter from the mounting tab 15 at the distal end 14 of thegutter hanger, the bend between the body portion 12 and the first foldedportion 21 is preferably formed with raised reinforcement ridges 27 onopposing sides of the central reinforcing rib 13. For the same reasons,the central reinforcing rib 13 extends onto the first folded portion 21to form a central raised reinforcing ridge between the side ridges 27.Also, for enhanced strength of the distal mounting end 14, the centralreinforcing rib 13 extends partially into the reverse curved mountingtab 15 to create a raised central reinforcing ridge at the bend betweenthe body portion 12 and the distal mounting end 14.

From the upper end of the first folded portion 21, the second foldedportion 22 is bent at approximately ninety degrees to form the upperlongitudinally extending second folded portion. The third folded portion23 is reverse folded back toward the first folded portion 21 through abend angle of approximately 45 degrees to form a downwardly andforwardly extending third folded diagonal portion 23 that bends into thefourth folded portion 24 prior to reaching the first folded portion 21.The fourth folded portion 24 then reverse bends again from the thirdfolded diagonal portion 23 to form the lower longitudinally extendingfourth folded portion 24. The elevationally viewed shape of the second,third and fourth folded portions, as seen in the elevational view ofFIG. 2, is substantially in the shape of a “Z”.

From the fourth folded portion 24, the proximal attachment end 20 thenbends through approximately ninety degrees to create another verticallyoriented fifth folded portion 25 spaced rearwardly from the first foldedportion 21, separated therefrom by the Z-shaped second, third and fourthfolded portions 22, 23, 24. Lastly, the sixth folded portion 26 is bentfrom the uppermost end of the fifth folded portion 25 throughapproximately one hundred eighty degrees to create the third verticallyoriented sixth folded portion 26, which terminates in general alignmentwith the fourth folded portion 24.

The above-described folded configuration of the proximal attachment end20 of the gutter hanger 10 establishes a strong base from which thefront end of the rain gutter can be supported in a cantilevered manneron the distal mounting end 14. The reinforcing side ridges 27 and thecentral reinforcing ridge formed by the central reinforcing rib 13 atthe bend between the body portion 12 and the first folded portion 21,resist downward deflection of the body portion 12 and the integraldistal mounting end 14 relative to the proximal attachment end 20. Thecompact folded configuration of the proximal attachment end 20,particularly the horizontal orientation of the second fold portion 22and the fourth fold portion 24, prevents the fastener from distortingthe shape of the proximal attachment end 20 and allowing the fastener 30to be inserted too far into the fascia. Specifically, the horizontallydisposed second and fourth fold portions 22, 24, butt against the fasciaand stop any progression of the fastener 30 into the fascia.

To secure the proximal attachment end 20 to the fascia of the adjacentbuilding roof structure (not shown), the proximal attachment end 20 issecured by a fastener 30, shown in phantom in FIG. 6. As is known in theart, installation of the hidden gutter hangers 10 is facilitated by theuse of a guided fastener structure that will receive the fastener 30 andorient the fastener 30 is a proper downwardly angled orientation forengagement with the fascia. The proximal attachment end 20 has a guidedfastener structure formed from the multiple vertically folded portionsof the proximal attachment end 20 by locating holes 31-34 in the first,third, fifth and sixth folded portions 21, 23, and 25, respectively.

By properly locating the respective holes 31-34 before bending the sheetmetal blank into the above-described vertically folded configuration,the holes 31-34 become aligned from the first folded portion 21 to thesixth folded portion 26 in a downwardly inclined configuration. Thus, asis depicted in FIG. 6, the insertion of the fastener 30 into the firsthole 31 in the first folded portion 21 and then angling the fastener 30slightly downwardly through the second hole 32 in the third foldedportion, the fastener 30 becomes properly aligned and then guidedthrough the third and fourth holes 33, 34 through the fifth and sixthfolded portions 25, 26 into engagement with the fascia to which thegutter hanger 10 is to be mounted.

Because of the compact formation of the vertically folded proximalattachment end 20, the longitudinal depth from the first folded portion21 to the sixth folded portion 26 is less than has heretofore beenutilized in the known prior art formed sheet metal gutter hangers. As aresult, the fastener 30 can be effectively secured into the fasciabecause the compact formation of the proximal attachment end 20 allows agreater percentage of the fastener 30 to be engaged with the fascia.Accordingly, an installer can optionally utilize a shorter and lessexpensive fastener 30, to install the gutter hanger 10, than is known inthe art, and still provide the same effective length of fastenerengagement into the fascia, thereby reducing costs of installation.

It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps andarrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated toexplain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made bythose skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within theprinciples and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:
 1. A hiddengutter hanger for supporting a rain gutter from a building roofstructure comprising: an elongated, longitudinally extending bodyportion; a distal mounting end integrally formed with said body portionand including a curved mounting tab for engaging a front mounting lip ofsaid rain gutter; a proximal attachment end integrally formed with saidbody portion, said proximal attachment end being formed with multiplevertically folded portions including at least two vertical foldedportions and a diagonally extending folded portion.
 2. The hidden gutterhanger of claim 1 wherein said proximal attachment end is formed withaligned holes in said vertical and diagonal folded portions to establisha fastener guide through said proximal attachment end.
 3. The hiddengutter hanger of claim 2 wherein said proximal attachment end includes afirst vertical folded portion integrally formed with said body portionand connected to said body portion through a first bend, said first bendincluding at least two reinforcement ridges spanning from said bodyportion to said first vertical folded portion.
 4. The hidden gutterhanger of claim 3 wherein said body portion is oriented at an acuteangle relative to said first vertical folded portion to extend forwardlyand upwardly from said first vertical folded portion to orient saidmounting tab at a position substantially horizontally opposed to anupper part of said first vertical folded portion.
 5. The hidden gutterhanger of claim 3 wherein said proximal attachment end further includesan integral upper folded portion extending generally horizontallybetween said upper part of said first vertical folded portion and saiddiagonal folded portion.
 6. The hidden gutter hanger of claim 5 whereinsaid proximal attachment end further includes an integral lower foldedportion extending generally horizontally between said diagonal foldedportion and a lower part of a second vertical folded portion, saidsecond vertical folded portion being spaced rearwardly from said firstvertical folded portion by said upper and lower horizontal foldedportions and said diagonal folded portion.
 7. The hidden gutter hangerof claim 6 wherein said proximal attachment end further includes a thirdvertical folded portion integrally formed with said second verticalfolded portion and bent through approximately 180 degrees to terminatein general horizontal alignment with said lower horizontal foldedportion.
 8. The hidden gutter hanger of claim 7 wherein said thirdvertical folded portion is also formed with a hole aligned with theholes in said first and second folded portions and said diagonal foldedportion.
 9. The hidden gutter hanger of claim 8 further comprising afastener passing through said aligned holes in said first, second andthird vertical folded portions and said diagonal folded portion toattach said proximal attachment end to said building roof structure. 10.A gutter hanger bracket for mounting a rain gutter to a fascia of abuilding structure comprising: an elongated, longitudinally extendingbody portion; a distal mounting end integrally formed with said bodyportion and including a curved mounting tab for engaging a frontmounting lip of said rain gutter; a proximal attachment end integrallyformed with said body portion, said proximal attachment end being formedwith multiple vertically folded portions including first and secondlongitudinally spaced vertical folded portions and a diagonallyextending folded portion located between said first and second verticalfolded portions, each of said two vertical folded portions and saiddiagonal folded portion having formed therein aligned holes to establisha fastener guide through said proximal attachment end.
 11. The gutterhanger of claim 10 wherein an integral upper horizontal folded portioninterconnects an upper part of said first vertical folded portion and anupper part of said diagonal folded portion.
 12. The gutter hanger ofclaim 11 wherein said proximal attachment end further includes anintegral lower horizontal folded portion extending between a lower partof said diagonal folded portion and a lower part of said second verticalfolded portion.
 13. The gutter hanger of claim 12 wherein said proximalattachment end further includes a third vertical folded portionintegrally formed with said second vertical folded portion and bentthrough approximately 180 degrees to terminate in general horizontalalignment with said lower horizontal folded portion.
 14. The gutterhanger of claim 13 wherein said third vertical folded portion is alsoformed with a hole forming a part of said fastener guide through saidproximal attachment end.
 15. The gutter hanger of claim 14 furthercomprising a fastener passing through said fastener guide to attach saidproximal attachment end to said fascia.
 16. The gutter hanger of claim15 wherein said first vertical folded portion is integrally formed withsaid body portion and connected thereto through a first bend, said firstbend including at least two reinforcement ridges spanning from said bodyportion to said first vertical folded portion, said body portion beingoriented at an acute angle relative to said first vertical foldedportion to extend forwardly and upwardly therefrom to orient saidmounting tab at a position substantially horizontally opposed to saidupper part of said first vertical folded portion.
 17. The gutter hangerof claim 16 wherein said body portion is formed with a centrallongitudinal reinforcing rib, said reinforcing rib extending throughsaid first bend onto said first vertical folded portion, saidreinforcement ridges being positioned on opposing transverse sides ofsaid reinforcing rib.
 18. A hidden gutter hanger bracket for mounting arain gutter from a building roof structure, comprising: an elongated,longitudinally extending body portion; a distal mounting end integrallyformed with said body portion and including a curved mounting tab forengaging a front mounting lip of said rain gutter; a proximal attachmentend integrally formed with said body portion, said proximal attachmentend being formed with multiple vertically folded portions including: afirst vertical folded portion integrally formed with said body portionand bend relative thereto into a vertical orientation; an upperhorizontal folded portion integrally formed with said first verticalfolded portion and extending rearwardly from an upper part of said firstvertical folded portion; a diagonal folded portion integrally formedwith said upper horizontal folded portion and extending forwardly anddownwardly therefrom; an lower horizontal folded portion integrallyformed with said diagonal folded portion and extending rearwardlytherefrom; and a second vertical folded portion integrally formed withsaid lower horizontal folded portion and extending upwardly therefrom.19. The hidden gutter hanger bracket of claim 18 wherein each of saidfirst and second vertical folded portions and said diagonal foldedportion has formed therein a hole aligned with the holes in the othersaid portions to establish a fastener guide through said proximalattachment end.
 20. The hidden gutter hanger bracket of claim 19 whereinsaid proximal attachment end further includes a third vertical foldedportion integrally formed with said second vertical folded portion andbent through approximately 180 degrees to extend downwardly therefromand terminate in general horizontal alignment with said lower horizontalfolded portion, said third vertical folded portion also being formedwith a hole forming a part of said fastener guide through said proximalattachment end.
 21. The hidden gutter hanger bracket of claim 20 whereinsaid first vertical folded portion is integrally formed with said bodyportion and connected thereto through a first bend, said body portionbeing formed with a central longitudinal reinforcing rib extendingthrough said first bend onto said first vertical folded portion.
 22. Thehidden gutter hanger bracket of claim 21 wherein said first bendincludes at least two reinforcement ridges spanning from said bodyportion to said first vertical folded portion, said reinforcement ridgesbeing positioned on opposing transverse sides of said reinforcing rib.23. The hidden gutter hanger bracket of claim 22 wherein said bodyportion is oriented at an acute angle relative to said first verticalfolded portion to extend forwardly and upwardly therefrom to orient saidmounting tab at a position substantially horizontally opposed to saidupper part of said first vertical folded portion.